


Perfect Tea Time

by Runic



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Presents, Dorks in Love, F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-20
Updated: 2020-09-20
Packaged: 2021-03-08 03:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,628
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26568760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Runic/pseuds/Runic
Summary: Before they go celebrate with all their friends, Claude gives Byleth her birthday present.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 12
Kudos: 101





	Perfect Tea Time

**Author's Note:**

> Wanted to do something for the birthday of one of my all time favorite characters. Rated for a tiny bit of spice at the end just to be safe. 
> 
> Happy birthday, Byleth!

Byleth grumbled into her pillows, still half asleep, as the warmth provided by her husband slipped away from under her hand. She lazily reached out for him, turning her head further into the softness of the blankets she had pulled tight around her, but he had already slipped free of their bed. She could hear Claude going about the room, heard him shuffling about in an attempt to not make any loud noises and further disturb her.

Fine then, if he wanted to be up so early let him. Byleth was going back to sleep. She pulled the covers up over her head in protest, annoyed when she heard Claude’s gentle laugh. It was the one he made when she had done something he found cute. She was not trying to be cute. She was just trying to sleep.

Byleth had almost drifted off, her desire to sleep in overruling her curiosity to figure out what her husband was doing, when he knelt on the bed beside her. A large hand was placed on Byleth’s shoulder and he moved about the mound she made in the blankets, attempting to find an edge to pull back.

“Good morning, my love,” Claude greeted once he had succeeded in freeing Byleth’s face from the warmth of the comforter. “It is time to get up.”

“No.” Or, at least, that is what Byleth thought she said. The whole thing came out sounding more like a garbled mess. She attempted to rebury her face.

“Ah, ah,” Claude chastised, his voice light with amusement as he pulled away more of her blankets. “You know there is much to do today.”

“It’s my birthday,” Byleth continued with her grumbling. “I don’t understand why I can’t sleep in.”

“Because all of our friends have come to celebrate with you,” Claude reminded her. His hand caressed her arm through the thick layer of material, and she caught his hum of pleasure as she relaxed. It had been a really long time since all of her friends were together. This was the first year everyone had said they could make it to the celebrations, and that alone was worth dealing with the constant string of nobles wishing her well in an attempt to earn favor than actually meaning their words.

Claude leaned down, his warmth breath tickling her skin. Byleth scrunched her nose, but Claude placed a kiss against it, peppering her cheeks and jaw with a series of kisses until Byleth was laughing and allowing him to remove the rest of the blankets. 

“All right, all right, I’m up,” she relented.

She was rewarded by being pulled into Claude’s arms, sinking against his chest as he kissed her lips. Byleth sighed happily as they shared the languid exchange, full of contentment and love rather than an attempt to spark anything further. She loved those kisses. Well, to be fair, she loved all of the kisses she shared with Claude. 

“Do not get out of bed just yet,” Claude instructed when he pulled away, sliding off the bed again and denying Byleth his warmth all over. 

She pouted at his back, but he was grinning when he turned around, a large silver tray in hand. “I thought at the very least we could take a few moments of peace before joining the festivities,” he explained, placing the tray across her lap. He whipped off the top with a flourish, revealing a spread of Byleth’s favorite breakfast foods before her. Her mouth watered at the sight of the rare chocolate croissants her sweet tooth had come to crave lately. She immediately picked one up and stuffed it into her mouth.

There was Claude’s laugh again, pleasant and clear, making her chest do that funny little squeeze thing it always did when he was happy. She loved him so much.

“This might be a little much for even me to eat by myself,” Byleth pointed out, waving a hand over a heaping pile of eggs made three different ways. 

Claude immediately picked up a fork, diving into the food himself. “Well, I hope you don’t mind your loving husband helping you out then,” he joked as he swallowed the bit of potato he had chosen. “Oh! Almost forgot!” And Claude was off the bed again.

Byleth could not help the smile that crossed her lips, shaking her head as she watched his back once more. Claude busied himself with something he kept hidden from her, her only clue more soft clinks as he put the whole thing together. He was carrying another tray when he turned around, this time carrying a teapot and cups. He placed it between them, pouring the hot liquid out into her cup. 

“What kind is it?” Byleth asked as she took the cup, her hand lingering against her husband’s. 

Claude just grinned at her. “Try it first, then I’ll tell you.”

Byleth’s grin dropped, eyeing him with mock suspicion. Claude held a hand over his heart, mouth gaping open in shock, and the smile was right back on her lips. She tilted the cup up, taking a first testing sip. 

The tea was surprisingly mild at first, just the right amount of sweetness making itself known, nowhere near the overpowering levels Lysithea loved. And then the flavor burst across her tongue, that bite of cinnamon, the bitterness from pine needles, the sweetness of some flower fruit combination mixing together to ensure they would not become overpowering. 

“What is this?” she asked again.

“Do you like it?” Claude asked his own question, skipping over hers. He was trying to seem calm, but Byleth could see the nerves and eagerness hiding just beneath the surface. She nodded her head, and was rewarded with the flashing sunlight of his smile. “It’s a new blend,” he explained. “I was testing out different combinations until I made one I thought would be perfect for you. I admit, I did add in some Almyran pine needles as a ‘little bit of me’ type thing-”

Claude found himself cut off as Byleth fisted a hand into the front of his shirt, pulling him in for a kiss. Her tongue swept over his, relishing the moan she pulled from him when she shared the taste of the tea with him. 

“You made me my own tea.” Byleth was not sure why it made her go through a series of emotions too rapidly coming on for her to name more than happiness, but it did. She could picture Claude, after working on reports all day and dealing with some political drama, taking a quiet hour to test a new blend. He had used the free time he did not have making her the perfect blend of tea, one that would be just for her. “Thank you, Khalid.”

Claud flushed, right to the tips of his ears, as he always did when she used his Almyran name. “I love you, Byleth. You are the brightest star in my sky.”

“I love you too, Khalid,” she whispered back, squeezing his hand before letting go to pour Claude his own cup of tea. 

When the plates were cleared and the teapot was empty, Byleth was feeling very much like she would just like to lay back in her blankets. 

“Hey now!” Claude shouted, grabbing her hands and hauling her back up when he saw Byleth tipping backwards. “None of that now.”

Byleth whined, allowing herself to be pulled back into a sitting position. “You’re the one who always encourages us to take an hour or so to yourselves when we can. Why are you so eager to go out there today?”

“Well, besides the fact that I know Hilda and Lorenz are going to compete for who got you the best present, and that is going to be hilarious, I went through a lot of trouble to put a bath together for you. If you go back to sleep it is going to get cold.”

Claude was grinning at her while Byleth tried to keep her face straight, not giving away the fact that she thought a bath sounded rather nice at the moment. “Did you put in the jasmine oil?” she asked. Jasmine was Claude’s favorite flower, one of his favorite scents, and had become one of Byleth’s simply because it made him happy. 

“I did,” he assured her. “There are even rose petals and forget-me-nots floating on top of the water.”

Byleth relented with an all too dramatic sigh, throwing the covers off of herself, but never letting go of Claude’s hand. “I will go on one condition.”

“Oh?” Claude’s brows raised, waiting for his wife’s demand. “And what is that, my love?”

“My loving husband joins me.” Byleth tugged at his hands, pulling Claude off of the bed with her. 

“I think that can be arranged,” Claude answered with a grin. “Although, if you plan on having your wicked way with him, it will most likely make us late. Today of all days, I would not be able to stop worshiping you.”

“Good,” Byleth said with her own reflected grin. She stood on tiptoe, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for another short kiss. “Let them wait for a bit. Right now, I very much wish to ride my king in this wonderful bath he has prepared for me.”

Claude blushed again, his fingers tapping out a beat against her hips as he held her, groaning when Byleth rolled her hips against his. It turned into a laugh as Byleth ran her fingers along his beard, placing her own series of kisses along his jaw. “Happy birthday, By.”

Byleth hummed happily, leaning into Claude’s chest once more before they headed to their private bathing room. “I love you too, Claude.”


End file.
